Hot Rod Drag Week 2025 - Dates and Tracks!
Hot Rod Drag Week 2025 is a go! And it’s headed East!!
With the news of the purchase of Hot Rod magazine by Hearst Publishing the fate of the event was in question! To the team at Hot Rod Magazine, they knew this was a great opportunity to grow the brand even further!
Mike Galimi has had one of the wildest few weeks in his publishing career and we are excited to see the release of dates and tracks for the 20th Anniversary of the event that started it all! Here is the email we received from Mike moments ago:
“It has been an interesting week for HOT ROD, from the announcement of our brand joining the Hearst Publishing powerhouse and now the release of the locations and dates for the 2025 HOT ROD Drag Week Presented by Gear Vendors Overdrive.
Attached you will find the press release that shows our home track will be the venerable Maryland International Raceway. We will head north to Numidia Dragway for the second day, then shoot back east to Maple Grove Raceway for the third day of competition. Cecil County Dragway will host us once again, this time as the fourth stop on tour. And the final day will be back at Maryland International Dragway. We have many more announcements coming soon for Drag Week, as well as the locations/dates for HOT ROD Power Tour. Thanks for helping spread the word about our events and we hope to see you in Maryland this September!”
And for everyone that’s interested, Mike says “We are excited to release the schedule almost two months earlier than previous years to give competitors more time to prepare their cars. We are also happy to report the 3-year ruleset will be released very soon as we prepare for 2025.”
The Official Press Release:
Race for the “Fastest Street Car in America” is Back!
Returning Sept. 14-19, 2025 to four fast tracks:
Budds Creek, Maryland – Numidia, Penn. – Maple Grove, Penn. – Rising Sun,
Maryland.
LOS ANGELES (Dec, 17 2024) — The race to determine the title of “Fastest Street Car in America” is back as HOT ROD Drag Week 2025 Presented by Gear Vendors is set to takeover four prestigious tracks, kicking off in the Mid-Atlantic region for the second time in the competition’s history. The 2025 HOT ROD Drag Week will visit two familiar tracks and add two new ones to its long and storied history. For the first time Maryland International Raceway, located in Budds Creek, Maryland, will be the host facility. The track is known for its exceptional racing surface and outstanding customer service. New to the schedule will be two tracks in Pennsylvania, Numidia Dragway and the famed Maple Grove Raceway. Cecil County is the fourth racetrack on the schedule, last visited by the premier drag-and-drive series in 2019. Registration for this highly anticipated annual event opens in February.
The world’s toughest competition to find the ultimate street-legal drag car, HOT ROD Drag Week puts competitors through a grueling test over five days of action-packed drag racing, requiring racers to drive their vehicles on a specified route from city to city, approximately 1,000 miles, while securing the quickest possible elapsed time across the five days. “I have won class several times, but winning the Overall title at the 20th anniversary race was tops in my racing career,” shared Brian Goldstone, the 2024 Overall winner. He, and co-driver Brian Robbins, faced the most extreme challenges in the 3,000-hp 1973 AMC Javelin, perhaps the toughest in Goldstone’s long and illustrious drag racing career.
During the competition, drivers provide photographic evidence to prove they have adhered to the prescribed route. Some of the nation’s top racers participate in Drag Week each year, and it’s not uncommon for competitors to band together to help each other get through the week.
“The first two decades of Drag Week changed the market, creating a new type of drag race style that has resonated with enthusiasts around the world, inspiring over 40 events that follow HOT ROD’s lead” said HOT ROD’s network director, Mike Galimi. “We are excited to release the schedule almost two months earlier than previous years to give competitors ore time to prepare their cars. We are also happy to report the 3-year ruleset will be released very soon as we prepare for 2025.”
HOT ROD DRAG WEEK 2025 PRESENTED BY GEAR VENDORS SCHEDULE
Tech Inspection, Registration, Test ‘N’ Tune – Sunday, Sept. 14
Maryland International Raceway (Budds Creek, Maryland)
Day 1 Racing – Monday, Sept. 15
Maryland International Raceway (Budds Creek, Maryland)
Day 2 Racing – Tuesday, Sept. 16
Numidia Dragway (Numidia, Pennsylvania)
Day 3 Racing – Wednesday, Sept. 17
Maple Grove Raceway (Reading, Pennsylvania)
Day 4 Racing – Thursday, Sept. 18
Cecil County Dragway (Rising Sun, Maryland)
Day 5 Racing (Finals) – Friday, Sept. 19
Maryland International Raceway (Budds Creek, Maryland)
DRAG PACK TICKET PROGRAM
Returning in 2025, Drag Week super fans can purchase a Drag Pack ticket that includes entry for one car, one driver, and one passenger for all HOT ROD Drag Week venues (Sunday, Sept. 14 through Friday, Sept. 19). Drag Pack ticket holders will get to park in the pits or in premier areas, have suite access and lunch at one venue (TBD) during the week, and receive one gift item per vehicle. The Drag Pack program is a great introduction to the drag-and-drive community. *Children 12 and under can enter with their family for free.
This is amazing news and fits the 2025 event schedule exceptionally well!! Find the full event list HERE
Photos provided by Hot Rod Magazine
